Unsung marketing

Ann Starbard of Crystal Brook Farm has been actively involved in the Farmers’ Market for years, both as a vendor and helping to plan the annual festivals. She hopes this year’s edition will help to raise awareness of the market, and draw new customers to it.

The Sterling Farmers’ Market will hold a festival again this year on Friday, July 22, 3-6:30 p.m., at the center of town.

“[We wanted to] continue the festival to bring more community involvement to the Farmers’ Market,” Starbard said. “Food supply and production are very important now and will be even more in the future. Having townspeople become involved with local agriculture is valuable to the health and vitality of our community.”

Starbard said past festivals have been well attended, and special vendors are brought in just for the occasion – vendors with special appeal to people of all ages. “[We] have children activities, etc. This is a fun day for both customers and vendors,” she said.

The cold and wet spring has slowed a lot of crops for the local farmer vendors, said Starbard, but most fruits and vegetables are bouncing right back with the onslaught of the summer heat and sun.

“Customers will [begin to] see produce vendors’ stands quickly fill with lots of veggies and fruits,” she said.

Of course, the weather is a contributing factor to the success vendors reap at the market each week, and Starbard notes that organizing the vendors and advertising costs are two other challenges associated with running the market.

Tea, bread, and cookies on a stick are big sellers at the market, and there are a few craft vendors that offer unique merchandise. Starbard’s goat cheese is always popular, and she said the sale of it has been good this year.

“I enjoy seeing people, and especially children, coming to the market and eating the fresh local foods,” Starbard said. “[It’s] great to see neighbors and friends bumping into each other and standing around talking.”

Eating more local food has become a hot topic in recent years. Starbard said the festival is the perfect opportunity for people to break their normal Friday afternoon routine and give eating local a try.

“Eating local fresh food really is a better way to eat for flavor, nutrition and support of local economy,” she said.

The festival will feature a number of children’s activities such as crafts and face painting, as well as farm animals to see and pet. There will also be tractors to check out, and a goat milking demonstration at 5 p.m. A talk on recipes and food pairing ideas will take place at 4 p.m.

Starbard said she feels so many personal interactions have become too “electronic” in the age of e-mail, texting and Facebook, but the Farmers’ Market conjures up a time when neighbors would meet regularly to socialize face-to-face.

“The Farmers’ Market breaks that cycle and brings people together on real grass with real sunshine and rain, conversing with real words,” she said. “It is really more than an outlet for good nutritional food. It truly is a community event that is important to the social structure of the town.”